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TELLINA. 
Gen. Char. An eqnivalved inequilateral bivalve* 
more or less transversely ovate* with the ante- 
rior side irregularly bent : hinge slender* with 
two or three diverging teeth* and one or two 
elongated lateral ones. 
Lamarck’s principal distinction of this Genus is the 
bend or waving of the anterior side of the shell, and the 
lateral tooth or teeth. The individuals are mostly slender* 
compressed, smooth or striated, and white or elegantly 
painted; there is something in their general contour, 
partly produced by the above-mentioned bend, although 
in some species it is very slight, that indicates the Genus 
they belong to, and an inspection of the hinge soon de- 
termines it, for there is an apparent nakedness about it 
arising from the slenderness and simplicity of its parts, 
that makes it easily distinguishable. The cartilage is 
external. 
TELLINA obliqua. 
TAB. CLXI. — Fig. 1. 
Spec. Char. Nearly orbicular, convex* oblique* 
smooth ; anterior side slightly defined by a 
longitudinal wave. 
JPhe length and breadth are nearly equal ; the depth of 
each valve is about one-sixth of the diameter ; the ante- 
rior side is the smallest : the lines of growth are irregular, 
but rather sharply marked, and the spaces between them 
are rather elevated. 
